Annual planning is in full swing, and the Year in Review is a great place to start the planning process. But many companies stop there, and they miss out on a rich source of strategic insight when they do.

Looking at trends adds perspective that the Year in Review usually misses. The two sound similar, and there’s often some overlap, but most of the time there are many observations and issues that are raised only when you look at trends.

Why is that?

When we do Year in Review, we have our Doer hat on – so the question is, what did we do (or not)? When we look at trends, we have our Observer hat on – so the question is, what are we seeing? It’s remarkable what a difference that makes.

What specific questions do I like to ask to come up with a list of trends? I have about a dozen “thought-starter” questions I use that are designed to focus people on what’s important, and changing, in their environment.

Here are a few:

– What’s changing?

– What are you spending more time thinking about than you used to?

– What are your customers thinking about?

– What is your staff thinking about?

– What are the 3 most important forces impacting your market?

If you and your team ask those questions, you’ll open up a new set of opportunities that will stretch your thinking, your resources, and your purpose. And then the strategic planning can really begin!

I’ll be talking more about this on my call this month – click here to register.